Row rages over cyber slur
Police says girl booked for abusing it on FB was warned thrice. Is the action too harsh?Aneesha Sareen
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 16
The registration of a criminal case against a 22-year-old girl for abusing the police on a social networking site has raised a question whether the police action on her is severe. While the police has termed the registration of the case "in accordance with the law", city-based sociologists and "victims of police harassment" have termed it a "gag on democracy".

Is the police’s action too severe? How far can a victim go in expressing his/her frustration against the police? Is booking the victim in a criminal offence for posting abuses the only solution? Shouldn't the police have dealt with the case in a better and subtle way?

As these questions have been raised following the registration of the case. Chandigarh Tribune looks at the sequence of events and the provocation that led to the registration of a case against a young girl, who had won a bravery award at the tender age of 12 when she nabbed a thief all by herself.

Henna
Bakshi, an IPS aspirant, national bravery award winner and daughter of an Army officer, was booked on September 14 for abusing the police on the Facebook page of the Chandigarh traffic police. She has been booked under Sections 66 and 67-A of the IT Act.

What prompted her to abuse the police?

Henna’s white Safari car was stolen on August 11 from outside her friend’s house in Sector 18. She went to lodge an FIR with the Sector 19 police station and describes the process of getting a case registered as "stressful". She alleged that she was not contacted by the police regarding any progress in her case and was not given any satisfactory response when she tried to enquire about her stolen car,” she said.

After undergoing "harassment" for four days, Henna logged on to the official page of the Chandigarh traffic police on August 15 and narrated her trauma by posting comments. As friends shared and added to her comments, she used the platform to vent her frustration and abused the police a number of times using a particular objectionable word.

Police warning was ignored

A perusal of records of comments posted by Henna on the Facebook page, which have now been deleted and a printout of which is in the possession of Chandigarh Tribune, shows that the Chandigarh traffic police responded to the girl’s comments thrice before finally acting on her and sending the case for legal opinion.

Posts by traffic police

August 15: 8.33 am (@Henna Bakshi, as your matter pertains to the local police, you should contact the investigating officer to pursue the matter.

August 15: 1.33 pm @Henna Bakshi, if you are not satisfied with the police proceedings, you can approach the DSP (East) at the office, which is situated at the Sector 26 police station.

August 15: 1.52 pm @Henna Bakshi, you are cautioned not to use such words on CTP/FB page and be a sensible citizen. Otherwise criminal proceedings will be initiated.

Father had intervened

Henna’s father, Colonel Bakshi, told Chandigarh Tribune that his daughter never abused anyone. “This is not abusing anyone but a way of expression, which the police has interpreted wrongly. It is the anguish of a child. How can someone frame a charge against an innocent victim, who is just venting her ire? It is basically talking in an angry tone, it is not abusing the police,” he said.

Colonel Bakshi had also commented on the Facebook page in response to the police warning on August 15 at 4.33 pm via his mobile phone. His post read: “I saw a threat issued to my daughter by none other than the Chandigarh police; better watch out, u r against a girl who is a Geeta Chopra National Bravery award winner.”

What the law says

Booked under various Sections of the IT Act, Henna’s posting of abuses may invite punishment, which may extend to three-year imprisonment or fine. Section 66-A of the IT Act invites punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service that are grossly offensive or have menacing character. Section 67 on the other hand invites punishment for an offence which is obscene in the electronic form.

Quash FIR, says NGO

Demanding the quashing of the FIR against Henna, an NGO, the Lawyers for Human Rgihts International, has stated that Henna was "wrongly" booked by the Chandigarh police under various Sections.

Approach needs to be changed: Expert

Prof Rajesh Gill, head of the sociology department, PU, said, “While it is true that in the name of liberty, freedom and human rights, people, especially youngsters, are crossing the limit, but it is also a fact that we as society have failed to understand and tackle such issues and have been unable to find solutions. The issue needs to be seen in the larger perspective and the approach must be restorative rather than aggressive.”

Panchkula, September 16
A 60-year-old priest was murdered at a temple in Morni with a sharp-edged weapon and rods after he tried to stop four Chandigarh-based youths from drinking liquor on the temple premises. The Panchkula police has arrested the four youths. All of them are in the age group of 22 to 25 years. Their Esteem car, bearing a Chandigarh registration number, has been impounded by the police. The victim, Duni Chand, was taken to the General Hospital in Sector 6, Panchkula, where he was declared brought dead. Ram is a resident of Morni.

Duni Chand had retired from the Forest Department last year and had set up the Jwala Devi temple. Duni Chand is survived by his wife and five children - three daughters and two sons.

“As part of his daily schedule, Duni Chand was in the temple in the evening and was getting ready for the evening prayers. He saw four youths taking liquor near the temple,” said Ram Datt, Duni Chand's cousin.

He said, "When he stopped them, they attacked him repeatedly with a sharp-edged weapon and rods. After my cousin got unconscious, they fled from the spot.”

The victim was taken to a local hospital in Morni from where he was referred to the General Hospital, Sector 6. Duni Chand was declared brought dead at the hospital.

“Doctors said he had suffered serious injuries on the head and chest,” said another relative.

The body of the victim has been kept in the mortuary and the postmortem will be conducted tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the police has arrested the four accused. “As soon as we got information, we laid nakas. Though the accused tried to flee, three of them were caught near Mandna. The fourth one was arrested later,” said Assistant Sub-Inspector Paramjit Singh, in charge of the Morni police post.

The accused have been idenitifed as Ajay Kumar, Vikram Singh, Ganesh and Pramod. While Ajay Kumar is a resident of Sector 25, Chandigarh, Vikram Singh hails from Ambala, but was residing in Chandigarh, and Ganesh was staying in the Industrial Area.

Panchkula, September 16
Five houses in Nada village were washed away following flash floods in a seasonal rivulet flowing through the village due to continuous rain for the past two days. The administration has sounded a flash flood alarm, stating that the entire village is under a threat.

Five houses were washed away this evening. There is a threat to at least 10 more houses on the banks of the rivulet.

Residents whose houses were washed away are in a state of shock. “We had gone to a relatives' place today. When we came back in the evening, we found that our house had been washed away due to the flooded rivulet. I do not know where to spend the night with my three children and wife,” said Niranjan Singh, a resident of the village.

“We have been sending SOS calls to the administration for the past three days. It has been raining ever since. We slept in our
neigh

bours' houses or went to our relatives' places. Our worst fears came true today and we have been ruined.

Our houses were located on the banks of the rivulet and whenever it rained heavily, we feared losing our housed,” said Gulab Singh, another villager, a part of whose house got washed away.

“Fortunately we were not at home at the time of the mishap,” said another victim, Ram Singh.

According to villagers, they have not slept for the past two nights because of the fear of their houses getting washed away.

Meanwhile, officials of the administration also visited the spot.

“The situation is alarming. If it continues to rain, there is a threat that the entire village may get washed away due to the flooded seasonal rivulet,” said an official of the Panchkula administration.

A few days ago, around 35 houses at Chandi Kotala village near Chandimandir had either collapsed or developed cracks due to landslides.

The five families whose houses were washed away have made alternative arrangements to spend the night. “I have requested my neighbour to accommodate my family members," said Niranjan Singh. He said another affected resident had decided to spend the night in the village school.

Mohali, September 16
Besides keeping a watch on crime in the town, the Mohali police has another task at hand — guarding Fiza's jewellery and cash before it is deposited in the government Treasury.

The huge cash and jewellery items, worth Rs 1.35 crore, have been put at a police "kot" (armoury). Two police teams, comprising five policemen each, are guarding these round the clock in shifts. The cash and jewellery items were recovered by the police from Fiza’s three lockers in different banks on Thursday. Since then, these have been put at the "kot" under tight security.

Mohali SSP GS Bhullar said the police had got orders from the court to deposit the cash and jewellery in the government Treasury the very next day (Friday) after its recovery on Thursday. “Somehow, it could not be deposited in the Treasury. So we have decided to put it at the safest place, the "kot", where we have security round the clock,” said Bhullar.

He said Fiza’s assets would be deposited in the government Treasury tomorrow.

The police had also deposited Rs 92.98 lakh and 1.5 kg of gold items, which it had recovered from an almirah of Fiza’s residence in Sector 48 last month, in the Treasury.

Kept at police 'kot'

Cash and jewellery items, worth Rs 1.35 crore, have been put at a police "kot" (armoury). Two police teams, comprising five policemen each, are guarding these round the clock in shifts. Fiza’s assets will be deposited in the government Treasury on Monday.

anchkula, September 16
Even a week after the Chandigarh-Amritsar Superfast Express that started in place of Duronto has failed to attract crowd. Seats of all coaches, be it general or AC, were generally seen empty.

It was on September 11 when the Railways introduced the Chandigarh-Amritsar Superfast Express in place of Duronto with halts at Ludhiana and Jalandhar. A year ago, the much-awaited Duronto was started from the city to Amritsar, but was discontinued from September 10.

While according to station superintendent Praveen Kumar, the response is better than the Duronto. Among 900 seats available in the train daily, we get around 500 passengers, otherwise in Duronto the reservation never crossed 300. People are gradually getting aware about the train, said Kumar.

“The timings of the train are not fine. By the time, it reaches Amritsar, it’s around 11.30 to 12 at night. They should change the timings. As I urgently wanted to reach home, I took this train, otherwise would have never preferred to go by this,” said Gurdeep Kaur, a passenger.

“Even I feel the timings of the train are not attracting the crowd. Had it been in the morning or afternoon, it would have become convenient for us. Everyone avoids the hassles of reaching at night, said Sharanjeet Singh, a resident of Sector 15, Panchkula.

“Four-and-a-half hour is a long journey. One can’t manage to sit on a chair that too without any catering service. I believe the services that have been withdrawn are not alluring for people,” said Vijay Kumar, a resident of Mani Majra.

The new train has lesser fare as compared to the Duronto. The fare is less as there would be no catering service that was available in the Duronto. However, there will be a pantry in the train. Even though the new train will halt at two places, the projected time that will be taken to cover the distance between Chandigarh and Amritsar would be the same as the Duronto. The Superfast train that would halt for five minutes in Ludhiana and for three minutes in Jalandhar would cover the distance in four hours and 25 minutes.

The new train has been started, as there was much demand for stoppages in Ludhiana and Jalandhar and also because the Duronto didn’t prove to be a profitable venture for the Railways, which had to withdraw one of the two AC coaches because there weren’t many people making use of these.

Chandigarh, September 16
To woo the Bacchus lovers, the liquor contractors across the border in Mohali are selling liquor much below the maximum retail price (MRP).

To compete with the liquor prices in Chandigarh, the contractors are running vends on border areas along the UT. They are selling liquor around 20 per cent less than the MRP.

Alarmed at the trend, the UT’s Excise Department has shot off a letter to Commissioner, Excise and Taxation, Punjab, expressing concern over the unhealthy trend. A senior official in the UT’s Excise Department said the Punjab officials have been requested to conduct raids at the border vends. But no action has been taken so far as senior politicians have stakes in the liquor business, said sources.

Contradicting the claim of the UT, a Punjab official said it was the UT liquor contractors who were selling liquor below the MRP. “If the MRP of a bottle of Royal Stag is Rs 290, UT’s contractors are selling it at Rs 250. In Punjab, the same bottle is being sold for around Rs 290 against MRP of Rs 370,” pointed out an official.

The difference between the liquor prices in Mohali and Chandigarh is around Rs 40 per bottle. The officials said as per the act, the contractors could not sell liquor below the MRP.

On the other hand, the UT contractors cry foul over the high costs involved in running the trade. A substantial increase in the licence fee and excise duty by the UT was said to be one of the main reasons for losses being suffered by the contractors, said Satya Pal, a veteran in the trade.

Sources reveal that not more than 30 per cent of the liquor quota had been lifted in the last five months and many of the contractors in UT were yet to deposit 50 per cent of the licence fee.

Crime graph in tricity is constantly rising. Not even a single day passes by without a crime being reported, be it assault, robbery, kidnapping, rape or murder. The police is in the news for the wrong reasons.

Many a time, kin of policemen are found involved in such heinous crimes. To make matters worse, the police personnel often forget their duty and try to defend the culprits, thereby making them (culprits) more confident. This trend must be stopped immediately. To serve the purpose, counselling classes should be conducted to remind them of their duties. The police needs to be more disciplined and dignified. This lawlessness and indiscipline call for strict punishment. The ones going against the law should be suspended and fined suitably. Also, a system of internal vigilance should be developed to keep a close watch on errant policemen.

Shruti K Chawla,
Chandigarh

Justice delivery system should be more effective

With the unabated spurt in crimes in Chandigarh, it is no exaggeration to say that the City Beautiful has become a “city of crimes”.

Clubs, hotels and discotheques have become major places where crimes are taking placing. It is not only kin of policemen who are found involved in criminal cases, but even the policemen themselves are.

Undoubtedly, there have been several instances where police has played a crucial role in preventing crimes and maintaining law and order situations in Chandigarh. Thus, it would be unfair to paint the entire police force with the same brush. However, one cannot rule out the possibility of police being hand in glove with the mafia.

The need of the hour is to start a vigorous drive to burst the racket of criminals, especially operating by police personnel and their kin. Moreover, criminal justice delivery system is not as effective as it needs to be. The system needs to be very effective to curb the menace. There is a greater need to restore the image of the police. The police should also gain the confidence of people by holding meetings with NGOs and people. There is further need for evolving an effective mechanism for coordinated regional planning with adjoining states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Senior citizens who are physically fit and mentally alert can play a vital role in developing society. If the Chandigarh Police really intend to check the increasing menace, it has to impart training to the officials on duty.

SK Khosla,
Chandigarh

Regular counselling should be held

The Chandigarh Police has been in news for all the wrong reasons. The residents of the city are always found dissatisfied with the police. It is very disheartening to see top officials defending culprits who are their relatives.

The UT Police needs to be more disciplined. The police officials are in a dire need of counselling sessions, which would remind them of their duties. They should realise that duty comes first, then their relations. Shielding their kin will further boost the culprits to commit crimes. Such trend must be stopped and officials found guilty should be severely punished. The police functioning should be made citizen friendly. The police should ensure transparency and accountability in the functioning of its units along with quick delivery of services, speedy investigation and time-bound disposal of complaints.

Vineet Kapoor,
Panchkula

Need for reforming errant children

It is tough for the parents to call police when their children are found involved in criminal activities. However, it is important to call for help when child indulge in criminal activities. Call the police when safety is an issue or when child’s behaviour crosses the line. I have seen probation officers and judges working out plans for children who are aggressive and violent. They'll put them in juvenile homes for a week or two. It can be very effective. They don't send away the child forever. After the specified time period, the child comes back home.

Sachin Sharma,
Chandigarh

Prompt judicial system needed

Root causes of crimes are generally unemployment and illiteracy. However, the reasons behind educated youth from well to do families committing crimes are entirely different. Children of high profile persons indulge in crimes, such as traffic violation, hooliganism, drinking in public, rapes, robbery and kidnapping, only to show power and richness, like a hero of an action packed Hollywood or Bollywood films. Sometimes crimes are done under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Wards of policeman at times also misuse power of their father like children of other VIPs. It has been witnessed recently that the wards of a policeman have been involved in serious crimes like attempt to murder, kidnapping, vehicle theft, robbery and show of mussel power.

Parents and teachers should join hands to clean society. Judiciary should shed its lethargic attitude and should provide quick justice. Prominent people should lead an exemplary lifestyle to set examples for the youths.

Kulbhushan Kanwar,
Chandigarh

Punish offenders

Police personnel are often reportedly involved in defending their relatives who have committed heinous crimes. Even if the criminals are arrested, many facilities are provided to them in the jail. The guardians of law are themselves becoming its assassins. Some urgent steps are needed to be taken to change this trend. Counselling sessions should be held where they should be made aware of their responsibilities. Some strict measures should be taken to punish the offenders. They should be dismissed from their duties. Officers should know that it will bounce back on them if they try to safeguard their relatives.

Isha Dahiya,
Panchkula

Parents need to be watchful

Many children misuse their parents love and affection for them. They waste their parents’ hard earn money in hotels, pubs and restaurants and participate in unlawful activities. The parents should keep a check on their children’s activities. If anyone, related to any police officer or politician, is found involved in criminal case should not be spared.

Sukhpal Singh,
Chandigarh

Open House Question

The Chandigarh Police booked Henna Bakshi for posting objectionable language on the Facebook wall of the department. The incident has thrown open several questions: Was it the right way to vent one's frustration despite being warned by the police several times? Was the usage of expletives justified? Has the Chandigarh Police been too severe book a 22-year-old girl, who would not have imagined the consequences? Write your comments and suggestions to
openhouse@tribunemail.com

Mohali, September 16
After putting entire details of property on the Internet few months ago, now the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) is all set to provide online payment facility.

The GMADA's Additional Chief Administrator, Manjit Singh
Brar, said it would take about six weeks to start the online payment facility here.

"The process is on. We are working in the direction and it (online payment) would be started within a span of six weeks, which covers all kinds of payments included installments, interest penalties etc," said
Brar.

He added that it was a long pending demand from the local residents. Moreover, it would also bring transparency in delivery of services, reduce the harassment of the public and also save the energy and time of both the GMADA officials and the public as well,
said Brar.

Brar also added that soon the GMADA was going to set up its own in-house information technology cell in the office. We have also re-designed our forms to make these more simplify, said
Brar.

Terming the start of online payment system as a welcome step, Shailender
Anand, chairman of the Mohali Property Consultants Association, said it would not only help in speeding up the work but also save the residents from unnecessary harassment. Presently, the payments here are being made by bank drafts and these drafts are being misplaced many a time, which resulted into delay in work and unnecessary harassment, said
Anand.

Chandigarh, September 16
Gursharan Singh Naat Utsav- 2012 began on Sunday with the opening of Gursharan Singh Gallery at Sarang Lok, Phase XI, Mohali. The festival aims to celebrate late Gursharan Singh’s large body
of work. His wife Kailash Kaur inaugurated the gallery.

Plays and seminars revolving around the work of late Gursharan Singh, one of the prominent director and playwright of Punjabi theatre, will be staged in next two days.

Four plays are scheduled to be held everyday at 6.30 pm, from September 17 to September 20, at Punjab Art Council, Sector 16.

On September 17, "Sukhi Basay Maskeniya" will be staged, followed by "Ghar Vapasi Ke Gheet" by Probir Guha on September 18. The play "Baaki Itehaas" written by Badal Sarkar (directed by Lakha Lehri) will be held on September 19. "Ikko Mitti De Putt" and "Jado Roshni Hundi Hai" by Chandigarh School of Drama will be staged on 20 September. Simultaneously, there will be two seminars- one on September 18 at Punjab University and the other on September 23 at Punjab Kala Bhawan, followed by play “Koi Hareo Boot Raheyo Ri’ by Kewal Dhaliwal.

The plays are scheduled in periphery areas too. Two plays will be staged
at Gyan Sagar Educational and Charitable Trust, Rajpura, on September 21 and 22. Two plays will
also be held at Sarang Lok, Phase XI, Mohali, on September 24 and September 25.

September 16
Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Chandigarh, organised a concert of Mexican music by Dulcemelos Duo. Alejandra Barrientos was on the psaltery while Hector Larios played the piano in a function held on Sunday at Punjab Kala Bhawan.

Their performance proved that music knows no boundaries. Both the artists have integrated music from different cultures of the world to their repertoire. The compositions were found quite soothing. The artistes have performed at many international festivals.
— TNS

Chandigarh, September 16
Prof Jagat Ram and Dr Jaspreet Sukhija from Advanced Eye Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, here, won three prestigious international awards at European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ESCRS) Conference held at Milan, Italy.

The seven-day international conference concluded on September 12. Professor Jagat Ram won the award in the category of special challenging cases where most innovative and new surgical technique has been performed for the first time anywhere in the world. Ophthalmologists from over one hundred countries competed for this award. He received the first prize for implantation of customised intraocular lens in a child with double crystalline lens. Dr Jaspreet Sukhija won the young ophthalmologist award while Orbis international medal was awarded to
Professor Jagat Ram and Dr Jaspreet Sukhija in the field of community ophthalmology.
––TNS

Chandigarh, September 16
Over 1.5 million people suffer from stroke each year in India and only a negligible number of these people can reach hospital in time due to lack of awareness on stroke related screening and treatment modalities.

This was stated by experts at the first Annual PGI Symposium ‘Strike out Stroke’ 2012, organised by Department of Neurology, PGIMER here today.

The event focused on ‘Brain Stroke Management in the Emergency’. Acute management of brain stroke is one of the most challenging areas in stroke management as it requires a coordinated team effort of health care personnel.

The PGI receives nearly 500 patients suffering from stoke every year. Hardly 10 per cent of them reach in time, said Dr Khurana.

Stroke should be treated as a medical emergency, said Dr Chopra. Prompt recognition of symptoms and early referral for thrombolysis to the nearest hospital with available infrastructure is needed. Importance of public awareness regarding the need to avail therapy as soon as possible was emphasised during the
discussion.

The conference brought together all the healthcare providers, including nursing staff, who are generally the first points of care.

A need to bring together all the hospitals, like Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, and Government Medical College and Hospital,
Sector 32, and the PGI, to develop a programme on brain stroke management was felt.

The meeting for the first time brought together physicians from these two hospitals and it is expected that soon a stroke programme will be launched in these two hospitals in collaboration with the PGI stroke programme, said Dr Dheeraj Khurana, the organising secretary.

Second leading cause of death worldwide

A stroke is a medical emergency. It can cause permanent neurological damage, complications and even death. Old age, hypertension (high blood pressure), previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), diabetes, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking and atrial fibrillation could lead to stroke. High blood pressure is the most important modifiable risk factor of stroke. It is the second leading cause of death worldwide.

Quick response is the only approach to save a person from stroke. Whenever one of these three symptoms, sudden face weakness, arm drift and abnormal speech, are noticed the person should be rush to a hospital, said Dr Dheeraj.

Panchkula, September 16
The Mansa Devi temple would now be under the surveillance of 57 high-definition cameras. It was after the Nishant kidnapping and several theft cases that had taken place at the temple during Navratras last year that the intelligence bureau (IB) and CID wing asked the temple authorities to install high-definition cameras this time.

It was on September 28, 2011, when 10-month-old Nishant was kidnapped by a couple in the garb of good Samaritans.

The victim’s father, Anil, had gone to attend a phone call when the couple in the garb of good Samaritans struck a conversation with the mother, Sarita, standing in a queue. They even exchanged their phone numbers. The couple then asked Sarita to rest for a while and told her that they could take care of Nishant. But when she returned, she saw that the couple had fled with the baby. Though the accused were arrested in February, 2012, the CCTV footage was of no help to the police.

At present, there are around 32 normal CCTV cameras at the temple.

“To increase the security at the temple, Internet Protocol (IP) technique cameras are proposed to be installed. These high-definition cameras would watch each and every corner of the temple with clarity and avoid untoward incidents,” said a senior official at the Mansa Devi temple.

The range of normal cameras was not much and even picture clarity was less, resulting which the intelligence bureau and CID wing of Haryana had asked the board to install the high-definition cameras.

Around Rs 1.5 crore would be spent on this project.

Out of 57 cameras, 24 will be installed indoors and 24 at various points outside the temple. Apart from this, nine cameras will be of Pan Tilt and Zoom (PTZ) technique, which will automatically revolve and zoom the points, said another official.

“The whole temple would be under surveillance and devotees would also feel safe after these cameras are installed,” said DP Dattana, chief executive officer (CEO) of the shrine board.

Chandigarh, September 16
Once bitten twice shy. Adding meaning to the proverb, the UT’s Excise Department is now asking for an undertaking (in the form of an affidavit) from applicants of liquor permit that is required to serve liquor at private social functions.

Apparently red-faced after the high-voltage pool party at the Lake Club where the organiser was found misusing the permit for commercial purposes, the department is asking the applicants to give an undertaking that they would not indulge in commercial activity on the basis of the permit.

Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner Naresh Dubey confirmed that the affidavits were being sought.

As per the excise rules, the permit (L-42) is given for special occasions where liquor has to be served. The applicant has to state the expected number of persons attending the function and purpose for seeking the permit.

Sources revealed that apart from the affidavit, the department is also asking for a no-objection certificate (NOC) from managements of non-scheduled places where such functions were being held.

“Taking no chance, the applicants are being asked to get an NOC from the management of the place where the functions are held,” said an official.

Mentioning to the inquiry report into the Lake Club episode submitted to the Chandigarh Administration, it has been pointed out that the Lake Club caterer, Sanjay Singla, admitted that the party was actually a beer-promotion function, whereas the venue had been booked for a social get-together for 60 guests.

To ensure that such incidents were not reported, the applicants are being asked to give an undertaking in this regard.

The sources further revealed that apart from seeking the affidavits, the department also conducts surprise checks.

“Traffic Police Chandigarh@Garry
Sekhon, You are cautioned not to use such words on the CTP/FB page and be a sensible citizen.”

This conversation could have taken a serious turn, as it happened in Henna Bakshi’s case, a 22-year-old girl, who kept venting her frustration with obscene words at the Chandigarh Traffic Police’s Facebook page, though out of her frustration, which unfortunately ended her getting booked under the IT Act, 2000, on Friday.

These incidents have thrown open the issue of using the cyber “liberty” beyond a limit, which poses real challenges before each one of us, as how to tackle the problem of liberal space provided by social networking sites vis-à-vis with larger public conduct.

Theatre director and playwright Atamjit Singh said, “Primarily this kind of public behaviour must be rejected. In our cultured society, such act has no space. However, the whole incident points out that there is frustration among the public against the failed action of the administration, which can’t be ignored. But we as a society should not legitimate obscene language. To check this, an action must be taken at the basic level i.e. at school where children must be sensitised about the right usage of emerging tools of communication and their relative freedom. Besides, being vigilant and subtle approach by the parents ought to be there. One must remember that
what differentiates us from animals is our civilised approach.”

Rakesh Sachdev, principal DAV-15, said, “While Henna was wrong in
her public conduct, but there must be a drive to make the youngsters aware of the repercussions of the misuse of social networking sites.”

“Rather than posting simple warnings and registering a case against them, the police must come forward to spread the awareness of the concerned Act and send healthy message to society,” he added.

Talking to Dr BS Chavan, head, department of psychiatry, GMCH-32, he said the social networking sites had no doubt changed the communication system in our society. Earlier, we used to have time to cool down after fits of anger, but now the emergence of platforms like Facebook or Twitter has given a space to people to immediately express their frustration, which in turn has been creating a
lot of problems.

But such sort of cases must be viewed differently, he said. There must be wider consensus over the fact that if a person has taken such step out of his or her physiological distress, the law and implementing authorities concerned must be ready to give some concession to the accused and send a larger message to society.

Not the first incident

As per information, it was not the first incident involving Facebook in Chandigarh.

In 2010, a Chandigarh-based school suspended 16 students for posting rude remarks about their class teacher on the
Facebook.

In 2011, a boy from the city created a fake FB profile of a girl studying in his school. The case was not registered since parents comprised on the matter.

London-based Sun newspaper reported last year that nearly one million children across the world, aged between 7 and 12 years have become addicted to the Facebook and have made it an integral part of their daily
lives.

Speaking out

The girl should have used other ways of venting out her anger rather than posting abusive language on the Facebook. But the police action to book her is also severe. Most of us don’t know if there is any IT Act for using abusive language on the Facebook.

Abhimanyu Bansal, a student of chemical engineering

I think mistake is from both sides. The girl should have some patience and should also refrain from using offensive language against the authorities on the social networking site. The police, on the other hand, had to act swiftly to address her grievances and besides posting her warning message, she had to be made aware about the legal provisions of the law
concerned.

Gaurav Mittal, an engineering student

In his case, I think, is an overreaction from the girl’s side. Such incidents set bad examples for society. Regardless of the issues, some degree of self-discipline is required in the public
domain.

Saloni Bajaj, an MBA student

I think there are better ways to make our grievances heard before the authorities rather than venting out frustration with offensive words. The issue can be judiciously handled if both sides are ready to bend a bit. The girl’s career must be taken into consideration, though she did not send a right message in the
public.

Chandigarh, September 16
Pracheen Kala Kendra, in collaboration with the department of cultural affairs, Chandigarh, organised an evening of percussion and instrumental music on Sunday. Tabla player Ustad Fazal Qureshi, son of legendary Ala Rakha Khan, and sarangi vadak Dilshad Khan held the audience spellbound.

Deepak Bhatt and Arun Solanki, both disciples of ustad Taufiq Qureshi, gave a dholak and percussion jugalbandi—
TNS

ICAI students perform Salsa at the GMCH-32 auditorium in Chandigarh on Sunday.
Tribune photo: Parvesh Chauhan

Students studying chartered accountancy under the aegis of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of India (ICAI) today organised 'Encore 2012', a cultural extravaganza, which was attended by over 500 students of institute. Organised at the auditorium of Government Medical College and Hospital-32, students participated in debate, poem, play, quiz, cultural event etc. A DJ party and fashion show was also held on the occasion. Well-known comedian Khayali had everyone present in splits. The objective of the staging the event was to provide a platform to show their talent.

Medical camp

Senior Citizens' Association organised a medical camp this morning
at the gurdwara in Sector 8, Chandigarh.This was the third camp in a series of such camps and other events forming part of over a month-long celebrations of the International Senior Citizens Day. The celebrations will end on October 1. Bhai Kanahya Ji’s Free
Polyclinic of the gurdwara, Sector 8, with its specialists (medical, cardiologist, orthopaedic, dental,
and physiotherapist) and technical facilities, including fully computerised laboratory, X-ray and ECG, provided excellent
medical cover.

Protest against FDI

An emergency meeting of prominent grocery retailers and senior functionaries of Chandigarh Beopar Mandal (CBM) was held to take stock of the situation arising after central government decision to allow FDI in multibrand retail. The meeting passed a resolution condemning the Centre for the announcement and decided to follow the directions of All India Udyog Beopar Mandal on the future course of action. Charanjiv Singh, president, CBM, said this new step will ruin the already hard-pressed trading community doing kiryana retail for ages from small commercial establishments.

Book presented

Practising High Court lawyer and former Additional Advocate General, Punjab, Harpreet Sandhu's authored book "Indo-European Legal System - A Comparative Study" has been presented at the House of Commons, London, in August 2012. The book was received by Member Parliament, United Kingdom, as an addition to the Parliament library. The Member
Parliament and Members Of London Assembly felicitated Harpreet Sandhu with a certificate mentioning that his
book is a tremendous source of research for students of law, with extensive work on the European Legal System particularly in Belgium, France, Switzerland and the UK.

‘Balidan divas’

The displaced Kashmiri pandit community in the tricity today observed "Balidan divas" to commemorate the sacrifices made by the community and lambasted the government for doing little for rehabilitating them even 22 years after they were forced to leave their home. The members of Kashmiri Sahayak Sabha, Chandigarh, and Kashmiri Sabha, Panchkula, met at the Kashmir Bhawan to remember the efforts Pt Tika Lal Taploo, Justice Neel Kanth Ganjoo, Pt Prem Nath Bhat (Vakil), Pt Sarwanand Premi and many others who fell to the bullets of fundamentalists in the valley.

CII organises contest

Navbharat Quality Circle from Secure Meters Ltd, Solan, was adjudged the winner in the 25th Quality Circle Preliminary Competition organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Chandigarh Council, here today. The first runners-up trophy was won by Kaizen Quality Circle from Bharat Electronics Ltd, Ghaziabad, while Victorious Quality Circle from Swaraj Engines Ltd, Mohali, bagged the second runners-up rolling trophy. These teams will now participate in the regional final on December 14 at Chandigarh.

Engineers Day

Various institutions celebrated "Engineers Day" in the area. At Gian Jyoti Group of Institutions, the day was celebrated by commemorating the birth anniversary of Sir Mokshagundam
Visvesvaraya. JS Bedi, chairman of Gian Jyoti Group of Institutes, said that Visvesvaraya was a wizard of engineering and one of the earliest persons to realise the significance of economic planning in
India. The Quest Group of Institutions, Mohali, celebrated the day by organising different activities, like poster-making, declamation contest,
quiz etc A session to provide guidance to students for higher studies by experts was also arranged. To inspire the students about chasing excellence in their life, a special screening of the movie ‘3 idiots’ was also held on the campus. Pankaj Bawa, District Town Planner of Mohali, was the chief guest of
the occasion.

Freshers’ party

The Gian Jyoti Group of Institions organised a freshers party to welcome lthe newly admitted BTech and MBA students. A cultural extravaganza was organised to mark the event. BTech students presented "Laughter Challenge" on the occasion. Punjab’s traditional dances, giddha and bhangra, were the main attraction of the event. At the Sri Sukhmani Institute of Engineering and Technology, students, staff and members of
the institute welcomed the new entrants to Freshers-2012 .

Student shines

Gurmeet Singh, a student of Desh Bhagat Institute of Professional Studies, has brought glory to
the institute by winning gold medal in the PTU inter-college cross country. Gurmeet Singh
is a student of BSc Media, Part-I.

Students excel

Students of Swami Vivekanand Institute of Engineering and
Technology (SVIET) have brought laurels to their college. Suraj Mallik, Minkal Pahuja, and Abhilove Sharma from the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) excelled with their performance in
the three-day national level tech fest “National Students’ Space Challenge-2012” held from September 7-9 at IIT, Kharagpur. A total of 856 students from different colleges of the country participated in the event.

Appointed

Punjab government
has recently promoted Pavinder Kaur and appointed her as principal, Government College,
Dera Bassi. Prior to this she was associate professor and HOD, department of geography at Government College, Sector 11, Chandigarh.

Blood donation camp

The NSS unit of Tangori organised its 28th blood donation camp. Students participated in the event with great fervor. More than 200 units of blood were collected during the campwhich was held
in collaboration with the GMCH, Sector 32. Dean Student Welfare Dr Sukhjeet Kaur commended the effort of the
NSS volunteers and highlighted the importance of blood donation.

Chandigarh, September 16
The residents of girls hostel no IV, Panjab University, staged a protest today over unclean washrooms and irregular water supply in their hostel. Irked by their complaints going unnoticed, the students raised slogans against the PU authorities during the demonstration.

Hostel residents complained that they are forced to use unclean washrooms, with taps running dry. The residents complained that the situation is worst in the Kasturba hostel’s extension where some bathrooms are under renovation and the remaining are always lying unclean.

“The water supply in the hostel is so poor that the students are often forced to go to nearby hostels to take bath or for using washrooms,” a protesting student said.

Girls also complained about the hygiene standard in the hostel mess and canteen. “We have never seen a PU dietician visiting the hostel mess and canteens to check the quality of food or the cleanliness in the canteen and mess,” one of the students said.

SOPU president Manoj Lubana, who joined the protest with the residents of the hostel, said that the authorities have been given a written complaint and the students will wait for the outcome. But if the problem remains unsolved, a massive protest would be launched involving residents of all the girls hostels.

Dean Student Welfare (DSW) AS Ahluwaila and DSW women Kalpana Mahajan along with the hostel wardens arrived at the scene to pacify the students. The DSW women said that there were some minor problems being faced by the students because of the ongoing renovation in washrooms. “The complaints of the students have been addressed and we would ensure that water is supplied to the hostel without any disruption,” she said.

Chandigarh, September 16
In a bid to promote entrepreneurship among students, the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET) with TIE Punjab and Chandigarh is going to hold a 54-hour extensive mentoring session. The session aims to help students evolve ideas that can be turned into real life business plans.

The high energy event that starts on October 12 evening with a brainstorming session. Each participant will be asked to tell their ideas and then top 10 ideas would be selected and teams would be formed organically around the idea. Participants whose ideas get selected will become the team leaders and others would be teammates. To associate in this event as a participant, one needs to register online.

The next day would witness one-to-one sessions, presentations by experts, seminars on various aspects of business etc. Participants will be informed about how to create a business from an idea.

On the final day, the participants will be arranging all their thoughts and research into a presentation that will be judged by an panel of judges who have set up their own companies and have gone through a similar stage.

Dr Manu Sharma of UIET said that the best team gets a Rs 50,000 seed-fund to materialise their business plan. “We at the PUIC support ideas ranging from computers science to anthropology, from business to zoology!" he said.